By Lucas K. Murray
Gloucester County Times
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP, N.J. — A mid-morning fire destroyed a freestanding three-car garage and injured a firefighter in the 200 block of Hurffville-Grenchloch Road Wednesday.
Chief John Hoffman said fire investigators believe the cause of the fire to be related to a gasoline vapor explosion. The owner had been working on removing a gas tank in the garage, but luckily no one was inside once the initial explosion had gone off around 9:30 a.m.
Firefighters saw a large column of thick black smoke coming from the area while en route. Hoffman noted the first crews arrived on scene within five minutes of being dispatched.
Once on scene, they came upon the garage which was engulfed in flames on two of its four sides just behind the residence on the property.
Police had to shut down the road to allow crews to run hose lines from nearby Langley Drive and Carrington Court to help.
Several vehicles were inside the garage, including two farm tractors and a 1991 Chevrolet Caprice that was on a lift.
“The initial explosion and fire blew out most of the left wall of the garage and one of the garage over head doors,” Hoffman said. “Flames completely consumed the roof over one bay of the garage and most of the contents were either destroyed or heavily damaged.”
Nearly three-dozen firefighters from Washington Township responded to the scene on seven pieces of equipment. They were aided there by the township’s police department and ambulance association along with the Highland Fire Company from Pitman and the Deptford Fire Department Canteen unit.
Glassboro, Williamstown, Blackwood and Deptford fire departments covered areas of Washington Township while crews were at the scene responding to the incident.
Firefighters were released from the scene by 12:40 p.m., but investigators remained there for another two hours. The lone firefighter that was injured was transported to Kennedy Memorial Hospital, Washington Township for treatment and was released.
Copyright 2009 Gloucester County Times